After Wednesday evening’s severe weather moved through Lee's Summit, Kevin Kern of Kansas City sorted through what was left of the belongings in his van, whose back hatch ripped off and curled onto the roof of his vehicle. Kern was shopping at a strip mall when the sirens sounded.
Rich Sugg
rsugg@kcstar.com

After Wednesday evening’s severe weather moved through Lee's Summit, Kevin Kern of Kansas City sorted through what was left of the belongings in his van, whose back hatch ripped off and curled onto the roof of his vehicle. Kern was shopping at a strip mall when the sirens sounded.
Rich Sugg
rsugg@kcstar.com

National Weather Service confirms three tornadoes touched down in Kansas City area

The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill confirmed that two tornadoes touched down in Jackson County and one in Cass County during Wednesday’s evening storms.

The more powerful of the three tornadoes touched down in Lee’s Summit shortly before 7 p.m., said Scott Blair, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

A survey team determined that tornado to be an EF1. The tornado hit a strip mall near Northeast Douglas Street and Tudor Road the hardest, causing an uplifting of the roof as well as shingle, tree and power line damage. The tornado traveled one mile south and was 100 yards wide.

The second tornado briefly touched down about 7:05 p.m. about 2 1/2 miles east, southeast of Lee’s Summit near U.S. 50 and Todd George Road. The EF0 tornado mainly damaged trees. The tornado traveled 250 yards and was 50 yards wide.

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The third tornado struck shortly after 8 p.m. about 2 miles west, southwest of Pleasant Hill. The EF0 tornado traveled 1.5 miles and was 100 yards wide.

No injuries were reported.

“The environment was certainly favorable for supercell storms and low level environment that would favor the potential for tornadoes,” Blair said. “We certainly should feel fortunate that with these storms moving through such populated areas that the damage was kept to a rather minimum.”

Here is the latest from the damage assessment team - two tornadoes were identified in Jackson County within the Lee's Summit city limits. The image provides details and radar imagery of the tornadoes.

Multiple tornadoes ripped through Lee’s Summit before 7 p.m. Wednesday and put the Kansas City area on edge before sunset.

High winds and flooding also caused some damage in Lee’s Summit, the city’s Fire Department reported. The Lee’s Summit Police Department said it had no reports of injuries.

The first funnel cloud was reported about 6:25 p.m. near Unity Village, moving southeast. A small tornado struck at a strip mall near Northeast Douglas Street and Tudor Road, near the Lee’s Summit police station and Lee’s Summit North High School. Several buildings were damaged and a fireworks trailer and tent were overturned near the high school. The Lee’s Summit Fire Department said the trailer and tent were unoccupied.

Most of the damage was to exterior siding, awnings and roof top heating and cooling units, according to the city.

People in Plato’s Closet, a used clothing store, ran to the nearby police station just before the tornado hit, winds sending bits of concrete roofing tile flying.

The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill allowed portions of the tornado watch, including the Kansas City area, to expire about 11 p.m. Wednesday.

The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill issued the watch for much of west-central Missouri and east-central Kansas. Its weather map at 7:20 p.m. showed a multicounty tornado warning area roughly between Raytown and Warrensburg, with severe thunderstorms plowing eastward.

Heavy rains that came with the high winds triggered flood warnings across the area.

The Star’s Lynn Horsley and Robert A. Cronkleton contributed to this report.